3 x Technical Officers - 45964

The Royal Parks is a charity created in March 2017. We manage over 5,000 acres of diverse parkland, rare habitats and historic buildings and monuments in eight Royal Parks across London. These are: Hyde Park, Kensington Gardens, The Green Park, St James’s Park, The Regent’s Park and Primrose Hill, Greenwich Park, Richmond Park and Bushy Park. We also manage other important public spaces including Brompton Cemetery and Victoria Tower Gardens. Our eight Royal Parks and other public spaces are among the most visited attractions in the UK with 77 million visits every year.

To carry out a range of Park Management and technical functions, supporting the Management Team of the parks.  They are seeking Technical officers for Kensington Gardens, Bushey Park and Hyde Park.

DUTIES/RESPONSIBILITIES

• Manage and monitor the Facilities Management Contractors in Hyde Park.
• Monitor and supervise other contracts and works taking place within the park as required, including liaison with the Works Manager, issuing orders, attending pre-start meetings, site handovers etc.
• Assist in the water management of both Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens including monitoring water levels and reporting on results.
• Manage plant room controls and all other water systems as instructed. To be the prime contact for requests to change current water management settings and to be the main point of contact for contractors and other stakeholders.
• The issuing and monitoring of scheduled and unscheduled work and approving work for payment.
• Assist in carrying out month end reconciliations and ensure adherence to the agreed annual budget.
• Provide the Horticultural Landscape Development Officer with new measurements/feature changes which may occur during the term of contract and to prepare new standards of maintenance/costs/job descriptions as required during the term of the contract.
• Undertake the procurement of park related items including furniture, trees, shrubs, bulbs etc.
• Liaise with the parks Police Unit where required on operational matters and with third parties on items which may affect the day to day running of the Park.
• Deal with enquiries from members of the public, stakeholders, contractors, event organisers and others through telephone, email and other forms of correspondence.
• Assist the Hyde Park and Events teams with events and filming within the park, including monitoring of event builds and derigs. This may include some out of hours work during the large-scale events in Hyde Park and being included on the event working rota.
• Attend seminars, exhibitions etc. to keep abreast of current developments.
• Undertake other related duties as directed.
• Ensure compliance with Health & Safety regulations by all staff, contractors and volunteers working in the parks, as per the organisations Health & Safety Manual.
• Manage staff and volunteers as required - there are currently no Royal Parks staff managed by this post.

Qualifications

• The post holder should hold a relevant qualification and/or considerable relevant experience

Experience

• Sound knowledge and experience of park technical operations, examples being (but not limited to) water management systems, lake management and general park facilities management
• Experience of dealing with enquiries from the public and other stakeholders, and of resolving associated issues
• Experience of working at an operational level with external delivery partners on the management and supervision of major and medium sized events - desirabl
• Sound knowledge and relevant broad experience of park management with a high level of proficiency in Amenity Horticulture - - desirable
• Knowledge and experience of contract management including ordering and supervision of work and handling general contract issues - desirable
  • Skills, knowledge and ability
• A good knowledge and competence in using IT packages, including the Microsoft Office suite and ability to learn new packages as required
• A thorough knowledge of Health and Safety principles, roles and responsibilities
• Excellent communication, interpersonal and negotiation skills, and the ability to communicate confidently at all levels both within and outside of the Royal Parks
• The ability to build productive relationships with colleagues (including volunteers) and contribute to the development of team skills
• Excellent time management skills with the ability to work on own initiative with minimal supervision
• Able to demonstrate a highly motivated, flexible and innovative approach to work and produce high quality and accurate work to deadline
• General knowledge of Landscape Management Software (CONFIRM and Arbortrac are used by TRP) - desirable
• Proven financial management and control skills, and ability to plan within budgets- desirable
• Able to identify customer needs and have a good understanding of good customer service
• Prepared and able to study event management and develop personal skills in delivering successful events - desirable
• A sound understanding of relevant legislation and managerial matters relating to Parks, amenity horticulture and to ISO14001, including green housekeeping and biodiversity matters  - desirable 

Other

• Commitment to The Royal Parks’ values of being responsible, excellent, inclusive, open and respectful
• A valid current driving licence allowing you to drive in the UK
• Membership of an appropriate professional institute e.g. CIH